Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased this cord April 27, 2014 delivered April 30. We didn't need to use it right away, and when we did start using it we noticed that after a few hours a portion of the cord's outer covering had split wide open for no discernible cause. Or maybe it was split when we unrolled it and didn't notice right away. In any case a Contractor Grade extension cord is supposed to withstand some actual use. Ours didn't. As per Amazon instructions I contacted the company (Factory Authorized Outlet) on June 11. The company stated that we were beyond their 30 day return policy (by 10 days) and since we had 'used' the cord (also known as unrolling it and plugging it in) they would not exchange it for any reason, even though it is clearly a defect in manufacturing. We are not contractors, we just needed a good heavy duty extension cord. Obviously, this cord is not up to high standards when it splits it's outer shell apparently by unrolling it to use or rolling it up to put it away. I've never had any extension cord we've ever used in the last 40 years split down the orange outer shell. Clearly this was a manufacturing defect and I feel the company should have made an exchange. I wasn't asking for a refund, just a good, safe product. Since the company declined to stand behind their product, I feel I must encourage buyers to seek a cord from another company or an 'Amazon Sold and shipped' product. It may cost more to use a different vendor, but you won't be stuck with an expensive cord that you can't safely use. Despite the other positive reviews, in my opinion this is NOT a contractor grade extension cord. Buyer Beware. We'll stick to 'Amazon sold' purchases in the future, no more third party vendors for us!